Women's Style | ["People Around Me Talk About Things Around Me" series report 24] Blooming at the Project Frontline - Remembering Zou Yonglan, a female electrician at the Industrial Workers Center

At the electrical class of the industrial workers' center, there is a female electrician who silently works hard at the on-site wiring position of the project, writing a glorious chapter for women with her actions. She is known as a "tomboy" among her colleagues, a "good brother" in the eyes of her male colleagues, and a "unique flower" in the project department. She is Zou Yonglan.

A young and fearless newcomer

As soon as she joined the company, Zou Yonglan resolutely chose the electrician position, a field rarely entered by women, filling the gap of no female electricians in the industrial workers' center. In just over a year, she has participated in the construction of many company projects. Through continuous learning and training on the projects, Zou Yonglan has transformed from a "novice" to an independent "expert". She once said, "Without effort, how would you know you can't create miracles?" Whenever she felt like giving up, she would use this sentence to encourage herself.

The Yibin project was the first test for this post-00s girl after joining the workforce. Although she had relevant knowledge reserves, when she first saw dozens or nearly a hundred cables densely packed inside the switchgear, she couldn't help but feel apprehensive. Under the guidance of the wiring master, she gained a preliminary understanding of wiring. Next came diligent practice: trying to read wiring diagrams, sorting out cables, stripping cable sheaths, and making control cable ends. Step by step, Zou Yonglan finally made the transition from "can't do it" to "I can do it".

When encountering cables with fiberglass, during the stripping process, some fiberglass would always stick to her body, causing bumps and itching all over. During the initial period, Zou Yonglan's thighs and arms were covered with scratches from scratching. Faced with such an environment and challenges, Zou Yonglan did not complain but actively adjusted her mentality, bravely overcame difficulties, and persisted in learning from the wiring master, constantly improving her skills and craftsmanship.

Fighting side by side, women are not inferior to men

Like other male colleagues, Zou Yonglan always sticks to the project frontline. During the early stage of cable rack production in the Qujing project, in May and June, facing the scorching sun and ironware heated like furnaces, she always smiled and said, "Just put on some sunscreen and wear gloves." After work in the evening, when she took off her hat, her originally fair face had turned into a "baked sweet potato." Every day, she was drenched in sweat, her face and hands tanned black. Whenever an experienced worker asked her, "As a girl, working on a construction site, have you ever thought about changing careers?", she always replied with a smile, "There's no gender difference on a construction site. On the road to achieving my dreams, I've never thought about giving up."

In the later stage of cable laying, she remained involved, working overtime with her colleagues to pull cables. That period coincided with the rainy season, with continuous heavy rain filling the cable trenches more than two meters deep. Due to the tight project schedule and heavy workload, everyone wore raincoats and rain boots to continue pulling cables in the rain. She also worked overtime without complaint, and was always drenched when she got off work. When some cables could not be fully pulled into the substation and someone needed to be on standby, even after several days of overtime, she volunteered to participate in the standby. She never retreated because she was a female worker but went wherever needed. At that time, although she lacked experience in professional skills, her diligent, hardworking, and down-to-earth spirit made everyone look at her with new eyes.

When wiring, faced with large-specification and high-difficulty cables, she would follow the masters, starting from making cable ends, then gradually to bending cables. This process not only requires steady hands, meticulousness, and high skills but also more patience. Compared with other male colleagues, she, with her small stature, could also handle this physical work. For the laying of bridge rack covers, the covers needed to be pulled from the ground to the pipe rack several meters high using rope. She skillfully fastened her safety belt, using almost all her strength to pull the dozens of kilograms of covers to lay them and tighten the screws. Under the scorching sun, her small body shuttled back and forth on the pipe rack. After each trip, her clothes were soaked with sweat. The on-site masters always praised her bravery, saying that a girl dared to go up to the pipe rack several meters high. Whenever this was mentioned, everyone would give her a thumbs up.

Full of enthusiasm, willing to be a "screw" for the project

Zou Yonglan is full of enthusiasm for her work. The working environment at the Xinping project site is extremely harsh, with either scorching sun making it hard to open one's eyes or thick fog and continuous rain. The place where she works is almost completely shrouded in fog, with piercing cold wind making it hard to stand. She overcame the impact of the harsh weather while working overtime to meet the deadline. Although she is an electrician, she always considers herself a "screw," wherever needed, she would be there. Therefore, she is also proficient in manual welding. In addition to her main job of wiring, she also followed her senior colleagues to weld flat steel and pipes. When working outdoors, her originally tender hands were often frozen purple, dry, and peeling, but she never complained, instead working tirelessly and diligently, contributing her light and heat to the project construction.

Zou Yonglan has always silently dedicated herself to her post, showing us a different kind of beauty in modern women. The "she power" she demonstrates is awe-inspiring! [Industrial Workers Center/Liu Susu]